I need some recommendations on a tripod that is good but that wont break the bank.

What's in the bank?
You can't go with Manfrotto. I have Manfrotto 3021BN (http://www.adorama.com/BG3021BN.html) with Manfrotto 3047 Head (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/5293-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_3047_3047_Deluxe_3_Way_Pan_Tilt.html). I can honestly say that this thing would be able to support me standing on top of it. And man do they cost a lot less now :(

Manfrotto is nice.
I have a benbo trekker - the old version. It's incredibly versatile and doesn't weigh a ton, yet will hold most things. You would have to find it used though:
http://www.burren.cx/photo/trekker.html
Giotto is supposed to be nice, but never see or used one.

I'll post this here too in case other people are interested...

What use will it get. There are lots of different kinds for different applications.

Gitzo are pretty much the only "professional" brand.

I have a Giottos and it is serviceable. I have had it for a few years now and it is starting to wear and the legs don't seem as stiff as they were. I also have problems with opening and closing the legs if they get wet, which is a problem not limited to just this brand. I want to get a Gitzo but the cost is prohibative right now. For the money I think the Giottos is quite a good deal but you can also look at Manfrotto and Slik.

The reason the I want the Gitzo model is that it is lighter, way taller and will adjust for level without adjusting the legs speeding up setup drastically. I do a lot of hiking and lightness is very important. Also I tend to be shooting over things quite a bit like rocks, shurbs or long grass, so height is quite important as well (and prevents back ache).

You want one that will place the camera viewfinder at eye level with the center column down (if it has one). If you are short this is no problem but taller people are really limited in choices in both brand and model. Being 6ft 3in I'm limited to really 3-4 different Gitzo models, no other brands make tripods tall enough that I have found. Remember to take into account the height of the tripod head and the distance from the bottom of the camera to viewfinder when working out ideal height.

For a studio tripod weight isn't an issue and taller the better depending on subject, a couple of pros I know use 10-13 foot ones so they can shoot down onto things. You can get studio tripod that have an arm coming out from central post mounted on a dolly so that you can get over tables and such without legs getting in the way.

Have you thought about what kind of head you want? Most tripods don't come with heads, you have to buy them seperately. I have a Manfrotto Maxi Ball head with quick release and it works quite well, I also have a Mafrotto 3-way head and it works well but is slower to setup for a shot.

Man you must have lost some weight Jay....

Also remember that the measurement they give for how much a tripod can hold, 13lbs for Jays manfrotto, doesn't include the weight on the head, camera body, lens or any acc. like battery grips or flashes. Going a little higher in wieght that what you need is always good.

With my head, body and telephoto and extender I'm probably between 15-20lbs

:)

13lbs is absolutely not true. I weigh around 205lbs and with fully extended legs can hold my weight with no problems. And that's with the head attached which weighs few pounds it self.

The demonstration for the tripod I ended up buying ages ago was the sales guy coming in and doing a handstand on it....I believe the model is a Slik...but not sure off the top of my head.

Hey I'm just going by the manufacturers specs. 13lbs may be with the legs totally spread as this weakens the tripod or maybe that is the heaviest load it can hold stiffly.

I have looked at all kinds of tripods and none have a rating of more than 50lb from the manufacturer. I think the highest was 30-40lbs from a Gitzo intended for large format use.

I'm not trying it with mine.

:shrugs:

Oh I know what you meant but seriously I'll post a video of me putting my ass-load on it fully extended legs (tripod, not me).